Crazy Footage of Parachute Instructor Saving Himself by Cutting Away From Twisted Chute Seconds Before Impact

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A skydiver captured the terrifying moments when his parachute became tangled, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Image source: YouTube

The jump began well, with several experienced skydivers joining in on the action. The 27-year old was on a jump from 14,000 feet near Sydney, according to the YouTube video description.

Things were going well at first. (Image source: YouTube)

Then panic struck.

The video captures the exact seconds when the long lines of his parachute begin to twist together and become tangled, and shows the jumper franticly attempting to untwist the lines.

The panic-inducing struggle was all caught in high-definition on the jumper’s helmet-mounted camera.

He notices the tangle… (Image source: YouTube)

…then attempts to pull at the cords to set them free from each other. (Image source: YouTube)

After several seconds of the life-or-death struggle with the lines, the jumper decides to take the drastic move of cutting free from his first chute — more accurately, pulling an emergency break-away cord — and deploying the reserve parachute, just seconds from impact with the ground.

“The quick-thinking instructor was only able to save himself by ‘cutting away’ and deploying his reserve,” the YouTube explanation reads.

Thankfully, the reserve chute deployed perfectly and the jumper safely reached the ground.